U.S. patent number 6,934,400 [Application Number 09/706,188] was granted by the patent office on 2005-08-23 for method for controlling the dynamic range of a hearing aid, and method to manufacture different hearing aids, and a hearing aid.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Phonak AG. Invention is credited to Andi Vonlanthen.
United States Patent |
6,934,400 |
Vonlanthen |
August 23, 2005 |
Method for controlling the dynamic range of a hearing aid, and
method to manufacture different hearing aids, and a hearing aid
Abstract
A method to control the dynamic range of a hearing device, which
comprises at least one acoustic/electric input transducer followed
by a signal processing unit which in turn is operationally
connected to an electric/mechanical output transducer, by
selectively switching an input impedance of the electric/mechanical
transducer from one value to another.
Inventors: |
Vonlanthen; Andi (Remetschwil,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Phonak AG (Stafa,
CH)
|
Family
ID: |
34837671 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/706,188 |
Filed: |
November 3, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
381/320 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R
25/70 (20130101); H04R 2225/59 (20130101); H04R
2225/021 (20130101); H04R 25/505 (20130101); H04R
2225/025 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04R
25/00 (20060101); H04R 025/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;381/23.1,162,312,313,314,316,315,320,321,384,FOR 140/ ;381/FOR
130/ ;381/FOR 131/ ;381/317,318,328,330,400,413,417,418,401
;379/390.01,390.03,394,395 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
4548082 |
October 1985 |
Engebretson et al. |
5189704 |
February 1993 |
Krauss |
5321758 |
June 1994 |
Charpentier et al. |
5861779 |
January 1999 |
Loeppert et al. |
|
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kuntz; Curtis
Assistant Examiner: Ensey; Brian
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pearne & Gordon LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electrical/mechanical converter module with a size adapted to
be mounted into a hearing aid device comprising: an input for an
electrical signal to be converted into a mechanical output signal,
said input having an input impedance, and an impedance control
input, wherein a control signal is applied to said control input
for controlling said input impedance and said impedance is
controlled to adapt said module to any one of a plurality of
electrical signal output devices having different electrical
characteristics.
2. The converter module of claim 1, further comprising an
electrical/mechanical converter with an inductive driver
arrangement, said input impedance comprising an impedance of said
driver arrangement.
3. The converter module of claim 2, wherein said driver arrangement
comprising at least two inductance, said control input controlling
activation of at least one of said at least two inductance as a
driver inductance.
4. The converter module of claim 1, wherein said input impedance
being defined by at least two discreet impedance elements, said
control input controlling interconnection of said at least two
discreet impedance elements.
5. The converter module of claim 1, wherein said input impedance
comprises at least one inductance.
6. The converter module of claim 1, wherein said input impedance
comprising at least two inductances, said control input controlling
interconnection of said at least two inductances.
7. A hearing device comprising: an electrical/mechanical output
converter, wherein said electrical/mechanical output converter is
included into an electrical/mechanical converter module with an
input for an electrical signal to be converted into a mechanical
output signal, said input having an input impedance, said module
further having an impedance control input, wherein a control signal
is applied to said control input for controlling said input
impedance and said impedance is controlled to adapt said module to
any one of a plurality of electrical signal output devices having
different electrical characteristics.
8. The hearing device of claim 7, wherein said converter has an
inductive driver arrangement, said input impedance of said module
comprising an impedance of said inductive driver arrangement.
9. The hearing device of claim 8, wherein said driver arrangement
comprises at least two inductances, said control input controlling
activation of at least one of said at least two inductances as a
driver inductance.
10. The hearing device of claim 7, wherein said input impedance of
said module comprises at least two discreet impedance elements,
said control input to said module controlling interconnection of
said at least two discreet impedance elements.
11. The hearing device of claim 7, wherein said input impedance of
said module comprises at least one inductance.
12. The hearing device of claim 7, wherein said input impedance of
said module comprises at least two inductances, said control input
controlling interconnection of said at least two inductances.
13. The hearing device of claim 7, further comprising a digital
signal processing unit with a control output being operationally
connected to said control input.
14. The hearing device of claim 7, wherein said control input of
said module is operationally connected to a manually operatable
control member.
15. A method of manufacturing a set of hearing devices, comprising
the step of: providing a first part of each of said hearing devices
with an output for an electrical signal to be
electrically/mechanically converted; providing to each device of
said set an equal electrical/mechanical converter module with an
input for an electrical signal to be electrically/mechanically
converted, said input having an input impedance, said module having
an impedance control input, wherein a control signal is applied to
said control input for controlling said input impedance and said
impedance is controlled to adapt said module to any one of a
plurality of said first parts having different electrical
characteristics; operationally connecting at each device of said
set the output of said first part to the input of said module; and
adapting each of said modules respectively to individual needs of
the respective device by adapting said input impedance of said
module via said control input.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for controlling the
dynamic range of a hearing device, a method for manufacturing
different kinds of hearing devices exhibiting different transfer
functions, and a hearing device fitted with at least one
acoustic/electric input transducer and also an electromechanical
transducer.
Typical hearing aids comprise at least one acoustic/electric input
transducer followed by a signal processing unit of which the output
drives an electric/mechanical transducer. As regards digital
hearing aids, the signal processing unit is correspondingly digital
and comprises an input-side analog/digital converter and as called
for an output-side digital/analog converter. This is the case both
for in-ear hearing aids and behind-the-ear hearing aids, the
output-side electric/mechanical transducer usually being in the
form of a loudspeaker unit fitted with a drive coil, but it applies
also to implant hearing aids (cochlea implant) of which the
output-side electric/mechanical transducer is fitted with a
mechanical drive element.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to make it possible for
such a hearing aid--where the term also definitely includes ear
phones and hearing accessories for hearing-impaired individuals--to
adjust the particular appropriate dynamic range using the simplest
means. To that end the initially cited control method is
characterized in that the input impedance of the
acoustic/mechanical transducer is selective switched.
Accordingly the invention is based on the insight that the dynamic
range set at a hearing aid of the cited kind, depends also in
significant manner on the input impedance of the
electric/mechanical transducer. Simply by switching this input
impedance to different impedance values, the said dynamic range
then can be selected in very easy manner. As regards hearing
accessories, the dynamic range can be changed according to the
hearing impairment to be remedied or, depending on locale, it may
be changed according to the perceived acoustic environment, or,
with respect to ear phones, according to the requirements at the
time.
Selective switching of the input impedance can be implemented in a
preferred embodiment of the method of the invention when fitting
the hearing aid, in particular the hearing accessory, for instance
by the audiologist, in order to attain a desired dynamic range.
In addition to or instead of the selective input-impedance
switching during hearing-aid fitting, the invention proposes that
the switching be carried out by means of the signal processing
unit, that is in adaptation to the particular acoustic
environment.
Moreover the switching of the input impedance may be carried out
automatically as mentioned above by means of signal processing,
and/or it may be initiated outside the hearing aid, whether
manually at the hearing aid itself, in particular as regards an ear
phone or an outside-the-ear hearing accessory, for instance by
remote control, if called for and preferably in combination with a
remote control driving the signal processing unit.
The concept of the invention also makes it possible to manufacture
various kinds of hearing accessories in more economical manner than
when a particular model-specific dynamic zone must be implemented
per se in terms of hardware and software for each particular model.
According the above-cited manufacturing process, this goal of the
invention is attained in that the various hearing-aid models
exhibit the same design and in that the dynamic range specific to a
given model is set by selectively switching the input impedance of
the electric/mechanical transducer. In this way the manufacture of
various hearing-aid models can be focused on the manufacture of a
single basic model of a hearing aid, and to select thereupon by
means of the switching of the invention the particular required
dynamic range.
The above technical problem can be solved concretely by a hearing
aid of the invention defined in claim 7 and including preferred
embodiment variations defined in claims 8 through 11.
Claim 12 moreover proposes an electro-mechanical transducer for a
hearing aid with integrated means to carry out the method of the
invention. In this manner the invention offers a transducer module
allowing simple manufacture and which can be integrated directly,
so that additional and considerable assembly steps can be avoided
in the manufacture of the hearing aid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is illustratively elucidated below in relation to the
attached Figures.
FIG. 1 is a simplified functional-block and signal-flow diagram
showing the principle of the method or of a hearing aid of the
invention with an integrated transducer of the invention,
FIG. 2 schematically shows an electric/mechanical transducer unit
of the invention in the form of a loudspeaker module and fitted
with an inductive source to carry out the control method of the
invention, and
FIG. 3 schematically shows various ways of implementing the
input-impedance control of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a hearing aid, for instance an ear phone
or--and in particular--a behind-the-ear or in-ear hearing
accessory, though also a cochlear implant, comprises an input-side
acoustic/electric transducer 1 followed by a signal processing unit
3 which in the case of a digital hearing aid shall be a digital
processor unit. An electric/mechanical transducer unit 5 is present
at the output side of the signal processing unit 3.
As schematically indicated in FIG. 1, the transducer unit 5 include
the actual electric/mechanical transducer 5a exhibiting an
impedance "e" at the input E5 of the transducer unit 5. In the
invention, the input impedance e of the transducer 5a can be
switched, by the switch 7 driven by means of a control input S, to
various impedances e1, e2, . . . in the manner schematically shown
in FIG. 1. As shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the invention
provides, switches which by means of a control input S allow
switching the input impedance e of the output-side
electric/mechanical transducer to given, previously selected
impedances.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control of input-impedance switching
basically can be carried out manually, whether by direct local
action Loc on a switching element or by a remote drive Rem, in
particular using remote control anyway present to drive the signal
processing unit. The particular selective control of the input
impedance e of the electric/mechanical transducer lower--possibly
possibly in combination with manual control--also can be
automatically initiated by the signal processing unit 3 as shown in
FIG. 1. In this manner and in practically adaptive manner, the
dynamic range of the hearing aid can be made to automatically
follow the switched-on operational mode at the processing unit and
moreover practically as a function of the acoustic environment.
Depending on the design of the electric/mechanical transducer, in
particular of its discrete impedance elements determining the input
impedance, the switch 7 can be a separate and independent unit
integrated between the output of the signal processing unit 3 and
the input of the transducer. Preferably, and as also shown in FIG.
2, such a switch shall be integrated into a modular,
electric/mechanical transducer 15.
FIG. 2 schematically shows an electric/mechanical transducer 17
conventionally used in such a transducer module 15 of hearing aids
and in the form of a loudspeaker fitted with an inductive drive 19.
Illustratively the drive 19 comprises two coils 19a, 19b. These
coils 19a, 19b and connected either in series or parallel by the
switch 17 and as a result the input impedance of the module 15
which is determined at least in part by said coils shall be
switched. Obviously more than two states of input impedance may be
easily attained in selectively switched manner, namely by
selectively connecting the discrete impedances provided either in
parallel or in series circuits and thus to implement the particular
desired input impedance.
As regards a hearing accessory, any requiring fitting, in
particular of the transfer function of the signal processing unit
by the audiologist to the particular individual requirements, is
carried out by initially switching ON the particular desired input
impedance. Such a switching configuration can then be retained
until there is a need for modification, again carried out by an
expert such as the audiologist, or, if based on the initial
setting, it may be carried out automatically or manually by the
wearer switching the input impedance while using the hearing aid.
By providing a reset feature, for instance by manually actuating
the signal processing unit a preferred option is attained, namely
to reset the cited input impedance anytime to the expert's initial
setting.
On one hand the method of the invention allows switching the
hearing-aid dynamic range using the very simplest means, and on the
other hand, as regards the manufacture of hearing aids differing
only by their dynamic ranges, to manufacture them simultaneously
and to freeze the class of model only after manufacture proper by
selecting said input impedance and hence the dynamic range, and
possibly only by fitting by an expert such as said audiologist.
* * * * *